Reddit Users Attempt to Shame Sikh Woman, Get Righteously Schooled

A Reddit user going by the handle "european_douchebag" posted a surreptitious photo of a Sikh woman with the caption "i'm not sure what to conclude from this." The user's apparent confusion stems from the fact that the woman—bound by her religion not to cut her hair or alter her body—has an abundance of dark, untrimmed facial hair. The mind of european_douchebag was SO INCREDIBLY BLOWN by the fact that women have hair on their bodies—and, yes, faces—and that some women are bold, self-assured, and pious enough not to cave to western beauty standards (and gender expectations), there was nothing for him to do but post her photo online and wait for the abuse to flood in.

But then something totally lovely and unexpected happened. The woman in the photo responded:

Hey, guys. This is Balpreet Kaur, the girl from the picture. I actually didn't know about this until one of my friends told on facebook. If the OP wanted a picture, they could have just asked and I could have smiled :) However, I'm not embarrased or even humiliated by the attention [negative and positve] that this picture is getting because, it's who I am. Yes, I'm a baptized Sikh woman with facial hair. Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body - it is a gift that has been given to us by the Divine Being [which is genderless, actually] and, must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will. Just as a child doesn't reject the gift of his/her parents, Sikhs do not reject the body that has been given to us. By crying 'mine, mine' and changing this body-tool, we are essentially living in ego and creating a seperateness between ourselves and the divinity within us. By transcending societal views of beauty, I believe that I can focus more on my actions. My attitude and thoughts and actions have more value in them than my body because I recognize that this body is just going to become ash in the end, so why fuss about it? When I die, no one is going to remember what I looked like, heck, my kids will forget my voice, and slowly, all physical memory will fade away. However, my impact and legacy will remain: and, by not focusing on the physical beauty, I have time to cultivate those inner virtues and hopefully, focus my life on creating change and progress for this world in any way I can. So, to me, my face isn't important but the smile and the happiness that lie behind the face are. :-) So, if anyone sees me at OSU, please come up and say hello. I appreciate all of the comments here, both positive and less positive because I've gotten a better understanding of myself and others from this. Also, the yoga pants are quite comfortable and the Better Together tshirt is actually from Interfaith Youth Core, an organization that focuses on storytelling and engagement between different faiths. :) I hope this explains everything a bit more, and I apologize for causing such confusion and uttering anything that hurt anyone.

And then, THEN, something even more miraculous happened—the original poster apologized:

I know that this post ISN'T a funny post but I felt the need to apologize to the Sikhs, Balpreet, and anyone else I offended when I posted that picture. Put simply it was stupid. Making fun of people is funny to some but incredibly degrading to the people you're making fun of. It was an incredibly rude, judgmental, and ignorant thing to post.

/r/Funny wasn't the proper place to post this. Maybe /r/racism or /r/douchebagsofreddit or /r/intolerance would have been more appropriate. Reddit shouldn't be about putting people down, but a group of people sending cool, interesting, or funny things. Reddit's been in the news alot lately about a lot of cool things we've done, like a freaking AMA by the president. I'm sorry for being the part of reddit that is intolerant and douchebaggy. This isn't 4chan, or 9gag, or some other stupid website where people post things like I did. It's fucking reddit. Where some pretty amazing stuff has happened.
I've read more about the Sikh faith and it was actually really interesting. It makes a whole lot of sense to work on having a legacy and not worrying about what you look like. I made that post for stupid internet points and I was ignorant.
So reddit I'm sorry for being an asshole and for giving you negative publicity.
Balpreet, I'm sorry for being a closed minded individual. You are a much better person than I am
Sikhs, I'm sorry for insulting your culture and way of life.
Balpreet's faith in what she believes is astounding.

Holy shit, internet, I don't even know you anymore! I never thought something would come out of the seeping necrotic abscess that is Reddit that would actually make my day better, but wow. MY HEART GREW THREE SIZES THIS DAY.

Source - http://jezebel.com/5946643/reddit-users-attempt-to-shame-sikh-woman-get-righteously-schooled

One man making Sydney smile

Have you seen this man around Sydney?

In the past month he has been spotted at Circular Quay, The Easter Show and the semifinal of the A League soccer just to name a few places.

He is not a busker, he will not ask you for money. This man asks for something way more important than that. He asks Sydneysiders to smile.

I first came across him at Circular Quay, holding a sign saying smile for peace. As we walked past him and smiled he gave us a big grin, a thank you and two thumbs up.



He will pose for photos, give you a hug and asks nothing in return except for a smile.

Seems he is a Western Sydney Wanderers fan also. He was spotted at the game on Friday night encouraging fans to smile.

It has been proven that the simple act of smiling improves happiness and even has health benefits.




There is an interesting TED Talk here by Ron Gutman: The hidden power of smiling. 

"We are actually born smiling" - Rod Gutman 




I was going to look into who this wonderful smiley man was and what his motivation behind it was, but I decided it was not important. The important thing is in this busy life in this busy town we often forget the simple things in life, the simple things that can change life, such as a smile.

So smiley man, whoever you are, you are fantastic, here is a big smile for you. :)

Written by Samara Jenkins @theyellowsnail

Beastie Boy Mike D Serves Up Meals From Food Truck To Hurricane Sandy Victims

Seeing the damage to Rockaway Beach, he launched the Rockaway Plate Lunchtruck with restauranteur and friend Robert McKinley.

The Beastie Boys' Mike D is fighting for more than the right to party -- he's been helping serve Hurricane Sandy victims warm meals from a food truck.

The musician, whose full name is Michael Diamond, spoke to GOOD Magazine on Tuesday about the project. Since the storm, more than 19,000 free meals have been served.

The cooking expertise come from Sam Talbot of 'Top Chef' fame, who is working with teams at New York's Spotted Pig and Fat Radish restaurants, to serve up rice, beans, chicken and vegetables.

In the Vimeo video above, Mike D explains that a food truck allowed easy navigationthrough the changing post-Sandy landscape. The team feeds anywhere from 200 to 500 people daily.

"The willingness to get involved has been amazing," McKinley says in the video. "There's been no egos and everyone is working really hard."

Five months after the storm, Mike D wants to transition the project to a full-time restaurant staffed by residents.

"There’s still the need for warm food out there, but our real goal for this summer is to help revitalize the local economy," he told GOOD magazine.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/05/beastie-boy-food-truck_n_3024894.html

Devils Delight In Heist Meat

DEVILISH behaviour has brought about a devil of a good time, with a brazen meat thief's ill-gotten haul sparking simultaneous feeding frenzies at wildlife parks across Hobart.

It was a rare feast in store for Tasmanian devils around the south yesterday as the proceeds of crime were widely distributed to the ravenous bone-shredding carnivores.

Ham, steaks and roasts were on the menu at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and other centres affiliated with the Devil Program and the flesh-loving residents showed no hesitation in devouring the evidence left over after police ticked off on the investigation.

"The meat, valued at $2600, was stolen from various supermarkets around Hobart," Detective Senior Constable Katrina Lane said watching on at Bonorong yesterday.

Bonorong owner Greg Irons feeds Pewee the devil with meat
confiscated as the proceeds of crime. Picture: KIM EISZELE

"It was later seized as evidence and kept in cold storage."

The offender was charged, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three months' jail, wholly suspended.

"I didn't want to see all that meat destroyed and I asked that the magistrate direct it be released to a good cause," the animal-loving police officer said.

The disposal request was granted, allowing the proceeds of this particular crime to be "wholly enjoyed and wolfed down" as Sen-Constable Lane put it.

Devil Program senior keeper Jocelyn Hockey said it was great to have agencies working together to turn a set of adverse circumstances into a positive and help in the protection of a unique species.

"It feels appropriate that we are able to recycle this meat to participants in our own rehabilitation program," Bonorong Sanctuary manager Petra Harris said.

"Some of the devil residents at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary have come into our centre orphaned or injured and donations assist us to ensure they are happy and healthy in our care," she said.

By zara.dawtrey@news.com.au

Source - http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2013/03/23/375265_tasmania-news.html

200 strangers attend British Marine's funeral after Facebook plea

By Alastair Jamieson, Staff writer, NBC News

LONDON -- More than 200 strangers attended a British veteran's funeral after a clergyman put out a plea on Facebook, fearing he would be buried without mourners, according to reports.

James McConnell, who served with the U.K.'s Royal Marines, died last month aged 70.

Staff at his nursing home in Southsea, Hampshire, thought they would be the only people at his funeral as he did not have any close family, ITV News reported.

The Rev. Bob Mason, posted a message on Facebook and contacted the Royal Marines Association.

The message, which was shared and reposted by members of the association and thousands of other Facebook users, said:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, In this day and age it is tragic enough that anyone has to leave this world with no one to mourn their passing, but this man was family and I am sure you will agree deserves a better send off. If you can make it to the graveside for that time to pay your respects to a former brother in arms then please try to be there."

A motorcycle procession during the funeral of James McConnell, who died last month at the age of 70.

Hundreds responded to the message, braving the freezing temperatures to attend Thursday’s ceremony at Milton Cemetery in nearby Portsmouth.

'Dignified burial'

Mason, who conducted Thursday’s funeral, told local newspaper, The News: “I want to say a big thank you to all of those who turned up.

“Many people had concerns about him being buried with no family present but now they have seen him have a dignified burial.”

Among those attending was Arthur Bailey, 88, who was a soldier who served in several conflicts.

"I heard about it and just wanted to come along," he told The News. "This is what the armed forces family is for. It’s a credit to everyone who turned up."

Source -http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17043695-200-strangers-attend-british-marines-funeral-after-facebook-plea?lite